Looking for an escape from London life without the hours of travel? Or maybe you’re self-employed and need a super co-working space that has all the benefits of working for a company – great cafés, a yoga studio and more, but in a super chilled, stylish environment?
Welcome to Birch, a once dated (250 years old to be exact) grade II listed Hertfordshire mansion that has been transformed into a guest and membership hub for creative minds that is brimming with a history as colourful as its interiors. With a stylistic nod to East London chic, encompassed by 55 acres of leafy countryside, it feels like an urban oasis but with the benefit of being close to North London.
The property is rooted in history and one that originates with a leading lady, Valerie Susan Langdon, otherwise known as Lady Meux.
She was a 19th-century socialite who was championed for her forward-thinking and boundary-breaking personality (we like the sound of her already). After marrying its owner, her vision to transform Theobalds Park (now Birch) into a haven for the fun and free-spirited, soon became known as the ‘Londoners’ playground’ – much like how we know it today. She installed an indoor roller-skating rink (now known as the Wellness Space) and was known for her love of Zebras (probably painted horses) as they pulled her carriage through the streets of London. The frivolity of her spirit lives on at Birch and tributes such as The Zebra Riding Club restaurant are littered throughout Birch’s grounds and ethos.
And while you can feel the history from the exterior, as soon as you walk through the door, you’re
brought into a modern world of Instagramable everything. From electric blue staircases and mosaic-tiled corridors to ‘unfinished’ patchy plastered walls and original features, Birch has a unique richness of style and interior.
Led by the design team at Red Deer, Birch underwent a 360 facelift back in 2019 and now celebrates its 140 bedrooms, two restaurants, three bars, 20 event spaces, a co-working
space, fitness studio, lido, pottery workshop, screening, music and art rooms, which have all been
individually transformed and stylised for Gen Z’s and millennials – as well as families.
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